Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (right) on her way to win the gold medal in the women’s 200 metres final on the sixth day of the IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, yesterday.
Dina Asher-Smith yesterday became the first British female athlete to win a world sprint title after clinching the women’s 200m gold at the Khalifa International Stadium.
With her top rivals absent, Asher-Smith was the overwhelming favourite to win the title at IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, and she won the crown in style, clocking 21.88 to set a new national record.
Team USA’s Brittany Brown won a well-deserved silver in 22.22 - her second personal best of the week while Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji got the bronze medal in 22.51, following a late blitz.
Asher-Smith was in front and appeared the winner right from the gun, but she continued to push till the finish line to win with a clear margin. Following the memorable triumph, the Briton just contained her tears during the interview.
“Normally, I’m quite chatty and everything but I’m lost for words,” said an emotional Asher-Smith.
“I just don’t know what to say. I don’t think it’s properly sunk in. Between now and the last World Championships, John and I knew I could do it but it’s a different thing actually going and doing it. To run 10.83 and 21.88 being tired! It’s been a long champs. It means so much,” she said.
“I was tired but I woke up today thinking, ‘Well this is it!’ Obviously I’ve got the relay, but this is the last of your individual. This is the moment you did all your work for. This is what we knew that we could achieve if the season went well but obviously the tiredness disappeared when we needed it to.
“It means so much. There’s so many British fans here. I don’t know [if] there’s a lot of British people (living) in Doha but I know loads have travelled. For my mum to be here, my dad, John and his wife, my physio and everything it means honestly so much,” she added.
The Briton became favourite to win the title after the withdrawal of Jamaica’s Olympic champion Elaine Thompson, 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 100m bronze medallist Marie-Josee Ta Lou and Dutch defending champion Dafne Schippers. Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare, who defeated the Briton this year, was also out of the competition after being disqualified in heat.
Favourite Norman out of title race in men’s 400m
Meanwhile, favourite Michael Norman suffered a huge shock in the men’s 400m semi-final yesterday, failing to enter the final. The world leader and the Diamond League champion from team USA struggled after 200m and finished the race in 45.94.
Steven Gardiner clocked the fastest time of 44.13 in the semi-final. Competing in the second semi-final, the Bahamian was pushed hard by Grenada’s Olympic champion Kirani James, who was second in the semi-final with a time of 44.23.
American champion Fred Kerley topped the second semi-final in 44.25 and was third quickest runner of the day. The final of the men’s 400m will be held tomorrow.
